


would you be so kind (as to fall in love with me?)

by ellalopez



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Carulia, F/F, coffee shop au if you squint, julethief, just enbies vibing in a cafe in poitiers, theo exposes jules like it's their job and honestly? as they should, two of them are in love with each other though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:00:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28948587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellalopez/pseuds/ellalopez
Summary: “i’m in love with you,” carmen says, so simply that she might as well be talking about the weather.julia chokes.
Relationships: Julia "Jules" Argent & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Julia "Jules" Argent/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep
Comments: 11
Kudos: 220





	would you be so kind (as to fall in love with me?)

**Author's Note:**

> *gestures vaguely at dumpster fire of dark!carmen and jules angst with random scenes, a general layout, and half of the first chapter written* don't look over there haha :) see we have some fluff over here, everything is fine!

**WHAT** is Julia doing here, exactly?

She’s sitting in the café by her apartment in Poitiers, her croissant long gone and on her second refill of her coffee. She’s been debating if she should leave for ten minutes now, eyes flickering towards the clock on the wall and the door. Her grip on her mug doesn’t lessen, and she’s afraid if she grips it any harder it’ll shatter into ceramic pieces all over the floor.

Her favourite barista, Theo, glances over at her periodically, shooting her quizzical looks. They don’t push for details, though, and she is grateful for that. It would be difficult to explain that she was waiting for someone who didn’t even explicitly state that she’d gotten her message.

Julia grimaces and takes another sip, pulling up the post on her blog once more. She’d done it the same way she got into contact with her the previous few times, hiding a location and time at the end of her paragraphs. _That café you know I like, this Wednesday at 2 PM._

She hits refresh. As expected, there’s no comment, no indication that she’d seen it at all.

Julia can feel her eyebrows furrowing like they always do when she’s anxious over something. They’re… friends (is that what they are? She’s not quite sure anymore, because surely Carmen can tell that the looks they give each other are far beyond friendly) but it’s not like Carmen spends her time monitoring her blog for nonsense posts about Colombian coffee. She doesn’t owe her anything, and really, she should be going, having wasted enough of Theo’s time.

She closes the tab and shuts off the phone, placing it in her purse. The coffee mug’s hers- she brings her own, save the environment and all- and she finishes the rest of her coffee. Theo looks up from where they’re wiping down the counter and offers to wash it before she leaves, and she declines politely, saying that she’ll do it herself at home. She puts it carefully in her bag, wrapped in a napkin to not stain anything. Theo gives her a salute with their two fingers, smiling, and wishes her a good rest of her day.

Julia returns the sentiment and stands up, walking to the door. She reaches for the door handle-

-when a callused, tanned hand covers hers and stops her.

Julia freezes and meets the grey flecked eyes of Carmen Sandiego.

“Hey, Jules,” she grins. It takes one look at the way the corner of her lip is quirked up and Julia knows she’s completely and utterly screwed.

~*~

Julia isn’t aware that she’s holding her breath until Carmen points it out.

“Your lips are going to turn blue if you don’t breathe soon,” she snorts, taking her by the shoulders and guiding them both to an empty booth. Julia swallows some air, feeling a bit lightheaded. Carmen was _here._ She’d received her message and she came to see her, no questions asked.

“You came,” she manages at last, sliding into the seat in front of her. Carmen raises an eyebrow, leaning forward so her head rests in her hands.

“Why wouldn’t I have?” she asks. “You went through all that trouble to contact me, and besides, today’s an off day. No V.I.L.E activity to put an end to if they’re in prison, after all.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Julia says. “I just… didn’t expect it. I thought you only checked my blog when we had a mission to do.”

Carmen chuckles at that, a loud and melodic sound that causes several people to stare at their booth. Julia flushes in embarrassment while Carmen just keeps talking.

“I practically have your blog bookmarked, Jules. I think you’re forgetting I love my ancient history facts as much as you do. Plus, Player has tabs on you anyway, in case anyone wants to try kidnapping my favourite agent again.”

Julia’s lips part, forming an ‘o’. She scrambles for a response- Thank you? You worry about my safety? _Carmen basically admitted to stalking her blog?_ What could she say without further embarrassing herself?

Theo chooses that moment to saunter up to them, their notepad in hand. They don’t hesitate in initiating the conversation, directing their comment directly at the thief.

“Hi! You must be Carmen?” they smile. Carmen turns to greet Theo warmly, sticking out her hand for them to shake.

“That’s my name, yes. It’s nice to meet you! I take it you know Jules?”

“She’s my best customer,” they reply, winking at her. Julia waves a hand dismissively.

“Just because I come in here twice a week and tip you extra doesn’t mean I’m your _best_ customer.”

Theo doesn’t miss a beat. “Julia, _sweetheart._ That’s exactly why you’re my best customer.”

Carmen looks at their exchange, amused. It’s nice seeing Julia like this, laid back without the pressures of cracking codes and defeating criminal organizations. She loves it when Julia gets all animated, rambling about history and her newest theories, so much so that it’s almost intoxicating to watch.

Oh, _no._ She was in deep.

“So, Jules,” she starts, shaking her head to clear it. “You talk about me with baristas now? Nothing too incriminating, I hope.”

“Never,” Julia says, finding herself smiling when a grin splits Carmen’s face. “It’s all praise from me-”

“-And lovesick, dreamy swooning,” Theo chimes in, interrupting her. Julia blanches, blushing as she goes to protest. “Did you see what Carmen did the other day? Oh, La Femme Rouge! I wish she could steal _me_ away instead,” Theo moans dramatically, hand flying to their forehead.

Julia’s face could rival the red of Carmen’s coat, at this rate. As far as she can tell, though, the thief doesn’t seem to mind, silently laughing from behind her hand.

“All you have to do is ask,” Carmen smirks. “I could take you out for a swing across Paris.”

Theo mutters something that sounds a lot like _‘a fucking gay Spiderman? I’m out’_ and Julia sinks low in her seat, half dying from the implications of Carmen’s words and of Theo’s remark. Did she mention earlier how she’s royally fucked?

“I would like that,” she whispers, barely audible over the noise of the café. Carmen beams at her, and she drops her hand on the table, like she wants to link their fingers together. Julia’s about to take it when Theo claps their hands.

“Okaaaay! As much as I’m a fan of sapphics in love, I came here to take y’all’s orders, not watch you two get sappy and gaze into each other’s eyes.”

Carmen bursts into laughter, the moment broken, but she doesn’t deny the statement. The air feels charged all of a sudden, and Julia can’t help but crack a shy smile, resting her hand on Carmen’s. Theo was unapologetically bold and said what they wanted, and she had to admire that.

“I just finished the coffee and the croissant, so I don’t need anything, thank you,” she answers. Theo nods, and Carmen pouts at her, her expression something that can only be described as puppy dog eyes. Julia’s heart short-circuits briefly.

“Come on, Jules. Let’s split a muffin; those berry ones filled with jam look _good._ My treat.”

“Carmen, I invited _you_ , why is it _your_ treat? It’s a few euros, I can afford it,” she argues. There’s no way she’s letting her pay when she took the time out of her week to fly out and meet with her.

“Fine,” Carmen agrees. “Let me take you out for dinner, at least.”

“Dinner?!” she sputters, slightly more high pitched and louder than she intends to be. Collecting herself (Theo’s not there to tease her, thank God, having left to warm up the muffin), Julia picks her jaw off the ground and tries to relax.

“Yes, _dinner,”_ Carmen repeats, clearly enjoying this. “I can swing by at seven.”

“But- we’re- _why?”_ she asks softly. Carmen’s not stupid. She knows how this sounds, how they’ve been dancing around the fine lines of their relationship for ages. This would be a date, or she was a fool.

“I’m in love with you,” Carmen says, so simply that she might as well be talking about the weather.

Julia chokes.

She wasn’t expecting _that._ She probably should’ve seen it coming, the tension between them bubbling and threatening to spill over at some point, but she didn’t think it’d be _today._

She opens her mouth to respond, her mind blank except with the words blaring at her- _I’m in love with you too, you don’t have to ask me twice-_ but Theo cuts her off, bringing them the muffin and some coffee on the house. They place the cup on the table a little too aggressively, some of the drink landing on the dish, but no one makes a move to clean it.

“You owe me twenty euros,” is the first thing they say, smiling smugly at Julia. 

“Theo! You _heard_ that?” she all but yelps, tearing her eyes away from the thief in front of her for a second. Carmen tilts her head adorably, like she wants to say something, but lets Julia continue. “And since when did we bet on-”

“Ah, so you _don’t_ remember. It was sometime in January- you might have been drunk or sleep deprived, I genuinely couldn’t tell, considering you stumbled in here at 1 AM gushing over one of Carmen’s heists. Would’ve been a regular Saturday, if I wasn’t on the verge of falling asleep and about to lock up to go home and crash on the couch.”

She’s mortified. This has to be how she dies.

“You kept begging me for the Red Blend coffee, which I’ve told you _many times_ we don’t brew or have in stock and that there’s another café down the street that can do that for you. And _then_ you switched tactics and begged me to share a danish with you even though it was fucking 1 AM, Julia, seriously, drunk you is a _sight._ ”

Carmen’s wheezing, laughing so hard she’s shaking. Theo barrels on because they have no regard for her sanity, apparently.

“It was tolerable at first, the usual _can you believe she likes me_ and _she said we were friends_ and _red looks so good on her,_ so I didn’t suffer too much through that. That progressed into _we flirt all the time, do you think she gets the hints?_ and me, exasperatedly telling you that I _know_ and she _does_ and you should ask her out. Same excuses, then _I love her,_ quiet and forlorn.”

Carmen stops laughing. Her grip on Julia’s hand tightens, and Julia can’t look at her.

“Anyways, long story short, I needed to _sleep_ so I just made you an offer. Tell her how you felt by the end of this year before it killed you, and I’d give you twenty euros. If she told you first or you didn’t tell her at all, you owed me. You agreed, mumbling about how it’d never happen, I drove you back to your apartment, and look where we are now!”

Theo nudges the muffin towards them. Julia’s speechless, and Carmen… well. She doesn’t say anything, her emotions undecipherable. “This is getting cold. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

They bow and take their leave. Julia’s lightheaded again, her breaths coming out in short gasps.

“Jules?” Carmen breaks the silence, worry etched in her eyes. “Hey. I know that was a lot, but I’m not mad. The opposite, actually. Did I not just confess that I feel the same way you do?”

“Yes, but-”

“Look at me,” she commands, and Julia does, finally lifting her head. “I’m in love with you, Jules. I trust you with my life. We can take things slow, at whatever pace you feel most comfortable with. I like what we have now, if you don’t want to do this. I’m just lucky to have you.”

She’s nervous. _Carmen Sandiego_ is nervous because of her. That realization snaps her back to reality, and she’s calmer, squeezing her hand.

“You already know I’m in love with you too,” she says. Still, Carmen lights up and untangles their fingers, leaning across the table to cup her face in her hands.

Breathlessly, she speaks against her lips- “Can I kiss you?”

Julia nods. It’s not a perfect kiss by any means- the edge of the table digs into her side, her glasses knock uncomfortably on her forehead- but Carmen tastes like coming _home_ and she can’t find it in her to care.

(Carmen thinks she's slick afterwards, when they exit the café. She stuffs twenty euros into Theo's tip jar, hidden behind her back as they pass the register. Julia just rolls her eyes- Theo mouths at her to text them details later- and presses a kiss to Carmen's cheek.)


End file.
